The Philosophy of Science (2026)
In The Philosophy of Science, an eight-hour course, Dr. James Orr traces the development of science from ancient Greece through the Scientific Revolution to today. He examines how theological, institutional, and philosophical forces shaped science, while tackling key issues like the demarcation problem of science versus pseudoscience, Hume’s problem of induction, Kuhn’s theory of paradigm shifts, and the realism debate. The course also engages fascinating unresolved questions raised by cosmology, neuroscience, and quantum mechanics, ultimately arguing that scientific progress does not eliminate philosophical inquiry but rather deepens it, revealing new mysteries that demand philosophical analysis.
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Episodes
- 1 1. Science as Philosophy2026-04-30 · 1h 0mIn our introductory lecture, we explore the philosophy of science by examining the extraordinary dominance that science has achieved in contemporary culture, where it has become th
- 2 2. The Scientific Revolution2026-04-30 · 1h 12mIn lecture two, Dr. Orr considers the Needham question, which asks why the scientific revolution emerged in medieval Europe rather than in more technologically advanced civilizatio
- 3 3. Scientific Thinkers2026-04-30 · 1h 3mIn lecture three, we study the scientific revolution through six figures: Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Bacon, and Newton. We challenge the narrative that science progres
- 4 4. Origins of the "Scientist"2026-04-30 · 59mIn lecture four, we explore the historical transition from natural philosophy to modern science during the 19th and 20th centuries, examining how the professionalization of science
- 5 5. Scientific Reasoning2026-04-30 · 1h 2mIn lecture five, we analyze two key challenges in philosophy of science. First, the demarcation problem: distinguishing genuine science from pseudoscience through Popper's falsific
- 6 6. Progress in Science2026-04-30 · 55mIn lecture six, we discuss how science changes and whether it makes progress. We examine Thomas Kuhn's paradigm shift theory, suggesting science replaces one map of reality with an
- 7 7. Philosophy in Science2026-04-30 · 54mIn lecture seven, we examine three fundamental concepts in philosophy of science: laws of nature, causation, and scientific explanation. We explore competing views on laws of natur
- 8 8. Unanswered Questions2026-04-30 · 1h 6mIn our eighth and final lecture, we investigate four key areas where scientific advances have generated profound philosophical questions. We delve into cosmology and the Big Bang t
Cast
Dr. James OrrHostImages
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